A tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes

Abstract: A tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes, consists of a supporting paperboard element (2) exhibiting a central surface depression or hollow (3a) designed to receive the confectionery item to be supported, and a perimetric lace-like-worked edge (4). Associated with the lower part of the supporting element is a stiffening member (5) made of paperboard material too and consisting of two layers (5a, 5b) in which the fibres of one layer are transverse to those of the other layer.

Description: The present invention relates to a tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes. It is known that confectionery items, such as cakes, when they need to be packaged or merely shown in the window, are disposed on support elements made of paper material enabling the confectionery items to be carried, or in any event moved, without causing any damages to the same. Such support elements also perform an important decorative function giving a pleasant appearance to the packaged product. Practically, these support elements for cakes substantially consist of a rest sheet made of paraffined paper adapted for food, comprising a centre area, on which the confectionery item is disposed, and a lace-like-worked annulus extending along the perimeter of said centre area. The lace-like-worked annulus defines a grasping region for the support element and at the same time gives the packaged product an agreeable aesthetic appearance. In order to stiffen the support element and therefore enable an easier transportation of the confectionery item, a paperboard disc is generally engaged in a removable manner to the lower part of the rest sheet, the sizes of said disc being the same as those of the centre sheet area. Although the above described support elements of known type are widely used in the confectionery field, they however have many drawbacks as regards both their construction costs and, above all, the possibility of using them in a practical and universal manner. It is to be noted in fact that the manufacture of paraffined rest sheets is rather expensive because, in order to obtain a lace-like-worked edge it is necessary to carry out a punching operation during which, as known, a paperboard sheet acting as a protective and damping element must be disposed on the base of the punching machine. Such a paperboard sheet, as it becomes impregnated with the paraffined paper off-cuts coming from the punching operation carried out on the sheets resting thereon, practically cannot be recycled and therefore involves a heavy economical loss. On the other hand, each paperboard protection sheet cannot be used for more than six or seven punching operations because many cuts inevitably occur on said paperboard sheet during each punching cycle and they will give rise to increasingly greater inaccuracies as punchings continue to increase. From a practical point of view, it will be also noted that the rest sheet made of paraffined paper, although provided with a certain degree of imperviousness to water due to its structural thinness, cannot be submitted to washing without being irreparably damaged. Consequently, should the rest sheet be soiled, for example during the step in which the confectionery product is decorated with creams, it would be inevitably necessary to replace it. This fact, besides involving an economical loss due to the non-recyclable character of the rest sheet, also gives rise to important practical problems as the confectionery product must be placed on a new rest sheet without damaging it. In addition, due to the structural thinness of the rest sheet, in particular at the lace-like-worked annulus, such a sheet can be easily torn each time it is acted upon in order to move the confectionery item. Another drawback consists in that the supporting disc and the rest sheet are physically separated from each other. Therefore, it is necessary to pay the greatest attention during the manual transportation of the confectionery product in order to avoid sliding of the sheet on the supporting disc, which will bring about damaging of the transported confectionery item or even breakage of same. It will be also recognized that, since it is necessary to manage two component elements physically separated from each other, that is the rest sheet and the supporting disc, also important problems as regards stock organization and management are involved. In this connection it is pointed out that the confectionery products have sizes greatly differing from each other and consequently the availability of a great number of supporting discs and corresponding rest sheets of different sizes is always necessary. The ornamental platter disclosed in document US-A-2610111 tried to solve some of the above drawbacks. This ornamental cake platter comprises a base plate made of a cardboard carrying on its peripheral edge a textile ruffle defining a plurality of upstanding plaits. A plastic sheet is provided over the base plate and is secured to this latter and to the ruffle by stitching, staples or any other suitable means. The preamble of claim 1 is based on this prior art. It is a main object of the present invention to substantially solve all the drawbacks of the known art by providing a tray for confectionery items which is very practical in use and involves reduced manufacturing costs. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to make a tray capable of combining two functions in a unitary piece, that is a decorative function and a supporting function for the confectionery items. Another object of the invention is to make a tray for confectionery items exhibiting a good structural strength and adapted to be washed easily without impairing its qualities. The foregoing and further objects that will become more apparent in the course of the present description are substantially attained by a tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes, as disclosed in claim 1. Further features and advantages can be more fully understood from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a tray for confectionery items, in accordance with the present invention, given hereinafter, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a tray for confectionery items according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the tray according to the invention. Referring to the drawings, a tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes, according to the invention has been generally identified by reference numeral 1. In an original manner, the tray 1 is comprised of a supporting element 2, made of paperboard material and exhibiting a centre area 3 at which a surface depression or hollow 3a is formed which is designed to house a given confectionery item. In addition, the supporting element 2 also has a lace-like-worked perimetric edge 4 completely encircling said centre area 3. In a novel manner, fastened to the lower part of the supporting element 2 is a stiffening member made of paperboard material too, substantially extending over said centre area 3. The stiffening member 5 has a perimetric band 6 extending lowermost and directly in contact with said lace-like-worked perimetric edge 4. Advantageously, in the embodiment shown, said stiffening member 5 is provided to be formed of a first layer 5a having its fibres oriented in a predetermined direction, and a second layer 5b the fibres of which are oriented transversely relative to those of the first layer 5a. Preferentially, the shape of the supporting element 2, centre area 3, surface hollow 3a, and stiffening member 5 substantially matches that of the confectionery item to be supported. In particular, for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, in the accompanying drawings reference has been made to a tray 1 of circular conformation consisting of a supporting circular element 2, in which a hollow of circular configuration 3a is formed and with the lower part of which a stiffening member 5, of circular form too, is associated. Still with reference to the embodiment shown, the perimetric lace-like-worked edge 4 is in the form of an annulus confined between an inner diameter "D1" and an outer diameter "D2". In this embodiment the stiffening member 5 has a radial extension included between said diameters D1 and D2. Finally, since the supporting element 2 must be as much waterproof as is possible, such a supporting element is made of a paraffined board or, alternatively, is coated with a film of hydrophobic material adapted for food, such as polypropylene. The invention achieves important advantages. First of all the overall strength of the tray 1 makes it hardly damageable during its operating use. In particular, it should be noted that the perimetric band 6 of the stiffening member 5 exerts an advantageous strengthening action at the lace-like-worked perimetric edge 4, that is at the point acted upon by the user's grasp when said user needs to lift or at all events move the tray 1. In addition, if the tray in accordance with the invention is accidentally soiled with creams or other products, it can be easily washed with sponges or wipers socked in water without the structural integrity and operating function of the tray being impaired. In fact, such a tray, in addition to being made up of a particularly strong and waterproofed supporting element, is also provided with a two-layered stiffening member 5 having fibres transverse to each other so that, even in the presence of humidity, a perfect flatness of the tray is ensured. It will be also recognized that the presence of the surface depression 3a is to advantage because it ensures a steady positioning of the confectionery item on the tray substantially preventing any displacement of same relative to the supporting element 2. The tray of the invention is also particularly advantageous as regards stocks, because it is of one piece construction and therefore the number of component elements to be managed is substantially halved as compared to the known art. Finally, from the construction standpoint, the tray 1 is particularly cheap because the amount of waste paperboard as a result of the punching operation is greatly reduced as compared to the known art. Practically, the same paperboard sheets that will form the stiffening member 5 in the finished product, act as shock-absorbing elements and protection elements for the base of the punching machine during the punching step. The shape of such paperboard sheets at the beginning matches that of the supporting element 2 and only after the punching step the sheets are perimetrically cut so as to form the stiffening member 5. Therefore, the only paperboard pieces to be subsequently discarded are those exactly corresponding to the perimetric lace-like-worked edge 4 and it is not the whole paperboard sheet to be discarded, as in the known art. Due to this particular feature, punching of the perimetric lace-like-worked edge takes place in a very precise manner and therefore the quality of the lace-like-worked edge is improved as compared to the known art. Obviously many modifications and variations may be made to the tray as conceived without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. In particular, in carrying out the invention practically, the shapes and sizes of the tray may be of any nature and magnitude in accordance with requirements.

Claims: A tray for confectionery items, in particular cakes, comprising a supporting element (2) exhibiting a center area (3) on which the confectionery item is disposed, and a perimetric lace like-work edge (4), and a stiffening member (5) made of paperboard material and fastened to the lower part of the supporting element (2), substantially at said center area (3), characterised in that the supporting element is made of paperboard material, and in that the stiffening member is made of two layers, the fibers of one layer (5a) being oriented in a predetermined direction and the fibers of the second layer (5b) being oriented transversally with respect to the fibers of the first layer. A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape of said supporting element (2), centre area (3) and stiffening member (5) substantially matches that of the confectionery item to be supported. A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting element (2), centre area (3) and stiffening member (5) are of a circular conformation. A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said stiffening member (5) has a perimetric band (6) extendiong lowermost and directly in contact with said perimetric lace-like-worked edge (4). A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting element (2) is provided, at said centre area (3), with a surface depression or hollow (3a) for housing the confectionery item. A tray according to claim 5, characterized in that the shape of said hollow (3a) substantially matches that of the confectionery item to be supported. A tray according to claim 5, characterized in that said hollow (3a) is of a circular conformation. A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting element (2) is made of a paraffined paperboard material adapted for food. A tray according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting element (2) is coated with a film made of a hydrophobic material adapted for food.

Inventors: ANGHILERI GIANMARIO, ANGHILERI, GIANMARIO
Applicants: NOVACART SPA
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65D85
IPC codes: B65D85